CONTENT NOTICE: This chapter contains violence with fantasy magic, burn wounds, brainwashing and mild animal cruelty. Reader discretion is advised.
"THE LAST GRIMWALKER"
CHAPTER SIX: IN FLOOD AND FLAMES
Hunter had a lot on his mind—a mind it turned out he shared. He had Esau—along with the rest of his fellow grimwalkers—to thank for banishing Vitimir's terrible toxin from his mind. And if it wasn't for Caleb, he would've taken something he could never return; a life. With the fighting finally finished, the exhausted young man decompressed in the corner of the grotto.
As Hunter rested in his refuge, his companions were dealing with the fallout of their latest fight. Bound in fortified rope were the mind-controlled thralls of the Eternal Coven, along with their leader, Lunelai. As for the justiciar's flytrap palisman, it was kept in a stone cage specially constructed by Matt.
"How do we get our friends back?" Viney interrogated, seething with anger. Lunelai kept her mouth shut, so the healer conjured a hard-light scalpel and pointed it at her throat. "ANSWER ME!"
"Even if I wanted to reverse their states, I couldn't. Only Vitimir knows the cure." The Coven Head answered. "Besides, they're better off this way."
"You're a monster." Hunter snarled, catching everyone's attention. This was the first time he'd spoken since his climactic clash with Justice Crescentine. "Just like Belos..."
"I'm nothing like that tyrant! I'm doing all this to save the Isles. I saw a future fraught with suffering and strife, and my coven will correct it."
"By invading the Human Realm?" Hunter refuted, causing his astonished peers to gasp. Even his enemy seemed astounded.
"Human Realm? You truly are delusional. I want nothing to do with those superstitious savages."
"That's not what Vitimir said."
Lunelai paused, her anger gradually turning to confusion. "That...that wasn't in my visions..." She was then approached by Celine, who was holding her crystal ball.
"Are you sure?"
Celine consulted the orb, and it projected her vision in the air above for all to see. The first foretaste of things to come was difficult to decipher; all its spectators could make out were six humanoid figures. However, the hazy display soon cleared up, revealing Vitimir standing with five masked witches in Eternal Coven garb. The evil alchemist was pouring Eternaline out of his limitless relic, and into the local water supply. Next thing they knew, all of Bonesborough was bowing down to their newly-risen master.
Things only got worse from there. Emperor Vitimir's vast army of brainwashed witches and demons marched out the portal door, and into the Human Realm. By the time they were finished, the town of Gravesfield had gone up in flames, and the flag of the Eternal Coven was posted where the Wittebanes' statue once stood.
However, it was humankind that would ultimately get the last laugh. From an enormous, ring-shaped portal door in the sky came an indescribable weapon with an egg-like shape. When it made landfall, it engulfed the Boiling Isles in a fiery explosion far more destructive than anyone could imagine. When the dust clears, it left behind a scorched carcass; a no-witch's-land rife with death and decay.
All were too stunned to speak, especially Lunelai. That waking nightmare was the bleak hereafter that inspired her to form the Eternal Coven. Alas, only now had she witnessed the events leading up to the Isles' potential demise; in a dark twist of fate, she had set the stage for the very apocalypse she sought to prevent.
The deafening silence was broken by the arrival of King Clawthorne, who had just flown in on his mother's staff. He was accompanied by the palismen of Hunter's closest friends, with the notable exception of Stringbean.
"King? What are you doing here?" Hunter queried, his tone tinged with dread. Lamentably, he could already tell by the grieved glint in the Titan's eyes that things had only gotten worse...
King's recounting of his allies' mission gone wrong was yet another grim part of a greater catastrophe. Hunter was beyond horrified to learn that his closest friends—the ones he owed his life to—were now mindless slaves to the whims of a madman. His allies shared his sentiment; even Boscha was appalled by what had become of them.
"This is all my fault..." Hunter quavered, his stomach in knots. "If I didn't get involved, this never would've happened..."
"It's not your fault, Hunter." Viney consoled, then turned her gaze towards Boscha. "Clearly, it's hers."
"Excuse me? I'm not the one who called the Owl House." The triclops sneered, causing Celine to freeze.
"Leave her alone!" Matt protested. The party's bitter remarks escalated into a full-blown argument fueled by distress and fatigue. King tried his best to settle their quarrel, but the poor kids were too caught up in consternation to realize that the blame game has no winners. To end their petty squabble, the Titan resorted to a desperate measure.
"WEH!"
The demon's forceful shout immediately ceased the youngsters' dispute. While it was intentionally weak so as not to injure, it still shook the students to their cores. Now that he had their undivided attention, King spoke up, his roar still reverberating throughout the cave.
"It's no one's fault but Vitimir's. And if we don't stop him, the whole entire Isles will be under his control."
"Hey! How come you aren't?" Matt realized. "Didn't they tag you, too?" Before King could respond, Boscha plucked a dart from his thigh, causing him to yelp. She carefully investigated the projectile, and noticed tiny flecks of residue on its needle-thin point.
"He's a Titan, he's probably immune." Viney theorized, causing a lightbulb to go off in her rival's head.
"That's it! That's the cure!"
"What is?" Hunter wondered.
"He's immune to the serum! He could be the key to the antidote!" Boscha exclaimed. Normally, King would object to being some Potions track guinea pig, but these were dire times. He was more than willing to put up with anything, provided it would bring his family back...
The ragtag crew got right to work on an antidote for the Eternal Coven's toxin. Doing so was a group effort, and required all hands on deck.
Hunter and Matt were outside in the swamp. Both boys had cloth masks covering their lower faces to block out the putrid gas that rose from the marsh's depths. According to Boscha, its pungent odor would be a perfect counter to the pheromones present in Eternaline. They used special spells to condense the gas into liquid form, and stored it in flasks of glass.
Back in the cave, Celine had summoned a shrouded spirit, and harvested its ectoplasm. Due to the spectral slime's affiliation with oracle magic, it was a key component in potions relating to the mind.
Viney conjured up a hard-light syringe, and used it to extract blue-hued blood from King's arm. After harvesting the needed amount, she magically healed the puncture point, and handed King a lollipop to cheer him up. Puddles even cuddled up to the Titan, cementing her status as the goodest of girls.
Lastly, Boscha used her potions know-how—plus the brewing equipment left behind by witches past—to mix the ingredients, bind them by heating the liquid, and cool it to completion. Once the teal-tinted philter was finished, it was time for the moment of truth.
Hunter approached Steve with utmost care, a vial of the antidote clutched firm in his grasp. The ranger thrashed in his restraints, his teeth tightly clenched. Hunter held his former subordinate still, and poured the potion down his throat.
Steve immediately ceased his resistance, and went totally still. The moments that followed were rife with suspense; could the cure have been worse than the poison? Thankfully, their fears were assuaged when the telltale violet veins faded from the captain's face. He looked around the cave with a confused expression, until his eyes locked with those of his little brother.
"Matty?"
"Steve!" Matt immediately rushed to his half-brother, and hugged him as tight as he could. Viney cut the freed thrall's restraints, and he eagerly reciprocated. King joined in the embrace as well; after all, he too was close with Steve. Once they were done, the ranger posed a question with a truly bitter answer:
"What just happened?"
The rest of the thralls were inoculated with the antiserum, freeing their chemically shackled minds. Upon curing them, Viney had a heartfelt reunion with her Detention Track buddies. Alas, Cat and Amelia weren't nearly as happy to see Boscha. After all, her tainted Titan's Venom was responsible for their harrowing plight.
The only member of the Coven left tied up was its deposed leader. Celine wished her mother was under Vitimir's control, but sadly, that wasn't the case. As much as she hated to admit it, the detestable bigot bound before her was the real Lunelai Crescentine.
With their friends and finally family cured, the six unlikely heroes gathered together to decide their next course of action.
"According to the vision, Vitimir's going to pour his serum in the water supply. That means he's headed to the Waterworks." Hunter spoke.
"So let's stop him." Matt eagerly retorted, causing Steve to rise from his rest.
"Not without me you wo—UGH!" The ranger captain clutched his aching abdomen, and fell to his knees.
"You're in no condition to fight." Viney bluntly stated. As much as Steve hated it, she was right; several days' worth of Eternaline exposure left him woefully exhausted. As Matt and King tended to their fatigue-ridden friend, Celine noticed Hunter was feeling quite glum—for obvious reasons.
"I'm sorry about your friends, Hunter. We'll get them back, I promise."
"It's not just that." The scarlet-clad witch turned towards the rest of his ragtag crew; all eyes were on him and him alone. "There's something I've been hiding from you, and I have to get it off my chest. I'm not like the rest of you; I am...a grimwalker..."
Hunter squirmed as the confession left his quivering lips. Although his closest friends accepted him for who he was, that didn't mean everyone else did; his brutal brawl with Lunelai was a testament to that. The silence of his company had him on edge; he expected to be jeered at any moment—especially once Boscha opened her mouth.
"We know."
"Huh? H-how?"
"Celine's mom told us. She made a huge deal about it, but I honestly don't care." Matt answered. "Hey, does this mean you're super powerful? 'Cause you've got a galdorstone inside you."
"And stonesleeper lungs! I thought they went extinct ages ago!" Viney eagerly exclaimed, much to Hunter's bewilderment.
"I was made with a magic ritual! Doesn't that bother you?!"
"I've got two moms, and I'm not adopted." remarked Boscha. "Figure it out."
"I hatched from an egg!" King butted in, disrupting the conversation. Thankfully, Viney was able to steer it back on track.
"It doesn't matter how you came to life. It's what you do with it that counts."
"And for what it's worth, grimwalkers are pretty cool." added Celine.
Hunter's anxious expression quickly became a warm, genuine smile; the words of his friends had truly touched his heart. "Thanks, you guys. That means a lot."
"No problem. Now let's go save the world."
"But how will we make it in time? The Waterworks are all the way back in Bonesborough!" King worried, when a distant whirring sound caught everyone's attention. The party quickly headed out of the cave, and saw an abomitech airship flying swiftly through the cloudy skies.
Once the dirigible was right above the group, none other than Darius rappelled down on a rope made of lilac slime. The former Coven Head let out a gasp when he saw the state of his ward. Although Viney healed him of his physical injuries, it was painfully clear the poor boy had been put through hell.
As for Hunter, he was somewhat wary to see his guardian; their argument was only last night, after all. Out of instinct, he did the same thing he usually did when confronted by an authoritative figure; beg for forgiveness.
"Darius! I am so, so sorry that I—" Before he could finish, Darius lashed out with an oozy arm, causing him to flinch. Hunter's heart raced as he felt the cold goo touch him, and he braced for punishment whilst it pulled him back to its wielder. But to his surprise, he was instead greeted with a tight, tender embrace from his kind-hearted guardian.
Once the initial shock wore off, Hunter hugged Darius back, happy to have such a kind and generous caretaker. Although the two would inevitably argue, that didn't change the fact that they were family...
At long last, the teens (and griffin) had left the Swampy Toes. Now, they were sailing the skies aboard Darius's souped-up air cruiser. As for King, he and his friends' palismen were elsewhere, flying the recovering thralls—along with their former overlord—to the nearest settlement for safety.
"So, how did you know where to find us?" Hunter inquired.
"Edalyn told me what happened; I came as soon as I could." Darius paused for a moment, then glanced at Hunter. "And I apologize for what I said last night. I shouldn't have yelled at you."
"I'm sorry, too. If you took me from the Emperor, he would've killed us both. So you did what you could." He spoke sincerely, mitigating his guardian's deep-seated guilt.
"Can this thing go any faster?" Matt impatiently asked. "We have to reach the Waterworks before Vitimir!"
"Eda's got him covered. And with what he did to you, I bet she'll tear him apart." Darius remarked, amused by the thought of the alchemist's comeuppance. Alas, his younger cohorts didn't share his mirth.
"Eda's been...compromised." Hunter uttered.
"They all have. Amity, Willow, Gus—even Luz." added Viney.
"And if he gets to the Waterworks, everyone else will be, too." Boscha stated urgently.
"Not to worry. I know someone who'll make sure they won't." Darius reached for his on-board crow phone, and dialed up his emergency contact. He was certain he would help in such dire circumstances; after all, he lent him his prototype turbo-airship. And to think Darius used to call him a hack...
However, Darius wasn't the only one with a high-speed ride. Zipping towards the Bonesborough Waterworks was a speedboat powered by an enormous fuel-filled potion. Aboard the advanced watercraft was Vitimir and his brainwashed ilk, who now wore the dark-toned garb of the Eternal Coven.
Once the boat reached the coastal cliff the treatment plant stood upon, its cruel captain roused his subordinates into action. Luz and Eda flew up the hydro-electric generators with staff and wing, whilst Willow conjured titanic seaweed tendrils that rose from the depths. The aquatic plants formed into a bridge leading to the Waterworks, which Vitimir—who was flanked by Gus and Amity—promptly crossed.
Once the Eternal Coven reached the compound, they were greeted by a most unwelcoming party. Standing on the coastal platform was the head of the Abomination Coven himself, Alador Blight. The sterling scientist was armed with an abomitech grenade launcher, and had on his tentacled harness. What's more, an entire legion of Abomatons were at his beck and call.
"It's over, Vitimir. Darius already told me about your little scheme. Now surrender, or face the fury of a Blight." On that note, the mechanical golems aimed their weapons at the trespassers.
"Go ahead, show me your wrath. But be warned; I have a Blight of my own."
Vitimir's enforcers removed the wraps that masked their lower faces, revealing their true identities. Alador gasped, reeling from shock. Darius may have warned him about the alchemist's enslaved soldiers, but part of him was in denial until now. Truly, there was no line that wretch wouldn't cross.
"You wouldn't want to hurt your precious daughter, would you?"
Alador fell silent for a moment, out of deep concern for his youngest child. That worry turned to seething rage as he diverted his gaze to her callous captor. The engineer raised one of his hands, signaling his robotic battalion.
"Abomatons, stick to non-lethal force. Vitimir's mine."
The constructs obeyed their creator's command, and charged towards the invaders. With a mere mental order from Vitimir, the fallen heroes fearlessly engaged their Abomaton adversaries. Cast spells and globs of slime flew through the air as the witches and abominations fought. As for their respective leaders, they too were in the heat of battle.
Alador opened fire on his foe with a gooey grenade launcher. The apothecary lobbed an explosive potion of his own, which struck the engineer's projectile. The resulting blast staggered both combatants, and filled the surrounding area with smoke.
Using the haze as cover, Vitimir uncorked a bottle of LocoPotion, and quickly consumed it. His speed and stamina now enhanced, he sprinted towards Alador. Thanks to his newfound agility, the villainous alchemist was able to dodge all the engineer's shots, and retaliated with a flurry of lightning-fast punches. Little did he know his enemy's technological tentacles worked at the speed of thought.
Alador seized both of Vitimir's hands with his abomitech appendages, and slammed him to the ground. The vicious insurrectionist drew a great breath, but another tendril clamped down on his throat before he could expel his vitriol.
"You POISONED my daughter!"
"I cured her." Vitimir sputtered. "All the Isles are next in line."
His face red with rage, Alador hurled his foe into the clutches of a nearby Abomaton. He morphed one of his tentacles into a razor-sharp blade, and readied it with murderous intent. Just as he was about to strike the killing blow, he saw something from the corner of his eye. His daughter was sprinting across the platform, evading his Abomatons' attacks with ease. What's more, she was headed straight for the Boiling Sea!
"Surrender and shut down your soldiers, or your daughter takes a dive."
There were many things Alador would sacrifice to stop Vitimir's nefarious plot, but his child wasn't one of them. The engineer immediately gave in, and pressed a button on his wrist-cuff that deactivated all the Abomatons. The slimy soldiers melted into mere puddles, freeing Vitimir from his fetters. On his wordless command, Amity stopped dead in her tracks, right at the platform's very edge. Willow bound Alador in sinewy vines, and the rest of the thralls surrounded him.
"This is what passes for a Coven Head these days? Pathetic." Vitimir drew his dart gun and shot Alador in the chest, adding him to the repertoire of powerful witches under his coven's control. The insurgents then made their way towards the Waterworks' reservoir, leaving its sedated creator to languish in his restraints...
Upon learning the true magnitude of his former colleague's scheme, Darius kicked his airship into overdrive. There were only fleeting moments before the vessel arrived at the seaside facility. Its passengers looked down below, and saw that the place was in ruin. The facility's exterior was absolutely littered with spills of living ooze. With a spyglass, Darius got a closer look, and spotted a familiar face trussed up in tendrils.
"Alador! Darius cried, his voice rife with worry. "When I get my hands on that rotten-mouthed bastard, I'll—" Before he could finish his furious threat, Hunter held a vial in front of him.
"First, take this."
The finicky former Coven Head swirled the liquid around in its container, and inhaled its pungent scent. Clearly disgusted, Darius retched, and started to cough. Hunter couldn't blame him; he, too, found the antiserum's odor appalling.
"Mother Titan, that's revolting! What is this?"
"The antidote. Drink it, and you'll be immune to Vitimir's control." Boscha retorted. Darius glanced at his ward, who gave him a knowing look in return.
"Bottoms up." The six witches—plus their griffin companion—swallowed their shares of the antidote, and with it, their pride. As bad as the concoction smelled, it tasted even worse. Like festering swamp water, with delectable notes of demon's drool.
"Ugh, that's sick." Matt squeaked.
"Makes my mouth stink." added Celine. Even Puddles hated taking her medicine, if the hairballs she hacked up were anything to go by. Once the team recovered from the awful aftertaste, Hunter stood up to rally his allies. He was still quite fatigued from his back-to-back battles with Vitimir, the Mind Killer, and Lunelai. To have a fighting chance at saving the Isles, he needed all the help he could get.
"Listen up, everyone. This could be the biggest challenge we've ever faced. Vitimir's turned our friends—our families—against us. And if we don't stop him, nobody will. I know you're worried; believe me, I am too. But we're going to take this on together."
With his team now ready for action, Hunter turned Waffles to staff form, and prepared for liftoff. Just as he was about to take flight, he felt a gentle hand place itself on his shoulder. He looked behind him, and saw Darius smiling warmly.
"I'm proud of you, Hunter."
Deeply touched, Hunter smiled back at his kindly guardian, and saluted him before leaning off the edge of the airship. His palisman's wings unfurled, and she eagerly carried him towards the action. Matt and Boscha flanked him from behind on their respective staves, whilst Viney and Celine rode on Puddles's back.
The fate of the Boiling Isles was now in the hands of five young witches, along with a former Coven Head. As daunting as things seemed, their morale was sky-high, for they were going to tackle it as a team...
Because of the Blight Foundation's noble attainments, the citizens of Bonesborough—and its surrounding areas—had access to water that was safe, clean, and above all, affordable. Unfortunately, such a pristine water system made them the first and foremost target in the Eternal Coven's crusade.
Vitimir stood over the wide-spanning reservoir, his formidable enforcers close behind. He removed the Eternal Vessel from its thigh-strapped holster, and raised it over the lake.
"Today, we make history. At long last, all magickind will unite together under one mind, for all time."
"One mind for all time." His subordinates droned in unison. Just as Vitimir was about to unleash the relic's contents upon the waterbody, the container suddenly leapt from his grasp, and hurtled through the air.
The Vessel tumbled to the feet of Hunter, who had purloined it with a telekinetic spell. Standing with him was his motley crew; Viney, Puddles, Celine, Matt and Boscha. Needless to say, Vitimir was astounded.
"You survived? HOW?!"
"Your poison was a dud."
"Then try this one, whelp!"
In a split-second, Hunter's shoulder was struck by a dart filled with mind-trapping Eternaline, seemingly dooming him to the fate of his closest friends. But to Vitimir's astonishment, Hunter plucked the projectile out, dropped it to the floor, and smashed it underfoot. He then flourished his staff at his flabbergasted foe, a confident grin clear on his face.
"What's about to happen should be relatively painless, if you just do what we say."
With a seething gesture, Vitimir sicced his formidable thralls on the teens. Hunter rallied his team in response, and they charged towards the brainwashed brigade. Whilst the two sides clashed, Vitimir made a mad dash for the Vessel, only for Darius to abseil from his airship and block his path.
"Darius Deamonne. Come to join my Eternal Coven?" The alchemist offered, only for Darius to throw a glob of goo his way. Vitimir narrowly evaded it by ducking, and it instead knocked off his oversized hat.
"Drop the act. I knew you were wretched, but enslaving children? That's low, even for you."
"Fine, then. Be a rebel! At least I'll have my rematch for the Day of Unity!" Vitimir hurled a volatile potion at his former collaborator, who blocked it with a slimy shield. As the bottle burst into flame, Darius wreathed his entire body in abomination matter, transforming himself into a truly fearsome foe. He turned his hands into razor-sharp blades and lunged towards the usurper, reigniting their bitter rivalry...
Underestimation was something both Luz and Gus had been subjected to. Their critics often cited humans' supposed inability to perform magic, or the apparent triviality of illusionism. However, Matt and Hunter were well aware of their true potential, as they'd seen it firsthand; hence their wariness to take them on.
The thralls had pursued the boys into the Waterworks' inner workings, where lay a labyrinthian myriad of pipes, pools and catwalks. Luz cast a blazing ball of flame at her opponents, and it struck Hunter dead-on. The fiery orb's explosion caused smoke and dust to cloud the surrounding area. However, when the haze cleared, the duo was still there! Seconds later, they poofed out of existence, leaving behind naught but rocky rubble. It was a decoy!
Just as Luz realized the ruse, Hunter leapt down from an elevated catwalk, catching her by surprise. She raised her staff to block his initial attack, and shoved him to the ground. Then, she raised an icy spike at the grimwalker, but he dashed away from the deadly stalagmite in the nick of time.
Gus aimed a spell circle towards his scar-faced adversary, when all of a sudden, a secretly shrunken Matt reverted to regular size and seized him from behind. He attempted to force-feed his struggling friend the antidote, but Gus elbowed him square in the face. Stunned, he let go of both his captive and the vial, whose contents spilled onto the cold metal floor.
On the illusionist's command, his opponent's surroundings became a pitch-black void of nothingness. Now on his toes, Matt conjured a stone sledgehammer, and clutched its handle tightly. He had no idea what to expect; Augustus Porter was full of surprises.
The tension in the abyss rose higher and higher, until out of the black leapt a humanoid creature with lime-green skin, a bulbous forehead, and enlarged eyes that matched its surroundings. Matt smashed his hammer into the invader's head, and it faded post haste. Two more little green men jumped at the dual-tracker, who dispatched them without breaking a sweat.
"Really, Gus? Is that all you've got?" Matt taunted, unaware those B-movie rejects were only a decoy; a mere taste of what the prodigious illusionist was capable of. The empty vacuum abruptly alighted with hundreds of bright yellow stars, which took on an all-too-familiar form. Looming over Matty with a wicked grin was a giant-sized version of the crescent-faced star-child known as The Collector.
"Hey there! Wanna PLAY?!"
The courageous "Man Tholomule" responded with a scream of fright. Although The Collector changed his childish ways, he still plunged the Isles into several months of chaos. They were New Hexside's biggest, baddest bogeyman, and that kind of trauma doesn't vanish overnight.
Fraught with terror, Matt faltered apprehensively. Gus took advantage of his vulnerable state, and hit him with a concussive energy blast. The ensuing spell launched him out of the void, and into the pool below with a resounding splash.
On the catwalks above, Luz was slinging spells like a maniac, her only drive to eliminate the grimwalker. Hunter teleported to and fro, evading her merciless attacks. He felt confident in his ability to take her down, for he mentored her in staff magic. The key, however, was to do so without badly hurting her.
The scarlet-suited warrior dashed out of a fireball's path, and cleaved through a throng of lashing vines with an energy wave from his staff. He jumped onto the walkway Luz was stationed on, and zipped towards her. He took hold of his friend, only for her to cast a light spell that burst, blinding him.
Hunter felt a wicked sensation grasp his arms and legs. Although he could see naught but white, he knew all too well what had seized him. As his vision returned, he could make out talon-tipped hands formed from ruddy flesh; a vile spell he knew as one of Belos's. He'd never seen Luz cast it before; did she learn it from Vitimir, or had she known it all this time?
Nevertheless, he attempted to teleport out the creatures' clawed clutches, but his efforts were in vain. The constant use of his innate ability had drained his stamina, disabling it. As Hunter writhed and squirmed, Luz wreathed her staff in dark violet energy, and aimed it towards his heart to deliver a killing blow.
Alas, it was only now that Stringbean realized her master wasn't simply sparring. Although she wasn't the brightest of palismen, Luz's true intentions had become impossible to ignore. In an act of desperate defiance, the snakeshifter sprouted bat-like ears and wings, and fluttered around her master whilst shrieking and nipping. Waffles joined in to help her fellow familiar, and pecked at Luz's face, whilst Stringbean turned into a monkey and ripped out a chunk of her long, wavy hair.
Without a hint of remorse, the once-kindly girl swatted Waffles away like a common pest, and slammed her foot down on Stringbean. To withstand the crushing pressure, the changeling changed her shape to that of a turtle's, but it would only prolong the inevitable. If nothing was done, the palisman would perish at the hands of her mind-controlled master.
Titan be damned if Hunter was going to let that happen again. He mustered all his remaining strength, enabling him to dash out of his restraints. He then swiftly swept Luz's legs and tackled her to the floor. He took out a vial of antiserum to cure her, but the human witch clamped her mouth shut. However, Stringbean slithered to her, reshaped into a crab, and pried her mouth open with her powerful pincers. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Hunter quickly poured the antidote down the hatch.
The cure worked its magic, freeing the good witch from her callous captor's control. Once she came to her senses, a wave of relief swept over Hunter. Luz, however, was more bewildered than anything.
"H-Hunter?" She groggily inquired, only to receive a squeezing embrace from him. She eagerly returned the favor with a hug of her own, and Stringbean nuzzled her sweetly, happy to have her master back. Waffles chirped cheerfully and landed in Hunter's hair, equally eager for the emancipation. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm glad you are, too." The scarred boy uttered, tears welling in his eyes. Luz looked at her surroundings; Hunter was bruised, Stringbean was shaken, and a chunk of her hair was gone. These clues were pieces of a truly appalling puzzle.
"What did I do?" Luz quavered worriedly, when the environment suddenly started to change. The industrial station turned into a dark and dreary forest, whose trees were devoid of leaf or color. In the trunks of said trees were tapestries of treachery, bigotry and murder. There was no mistaking this hideous place; it sent shivers down both teens' spines. Their dread only worsened when they saw Gus standing menacingly in the distance, his eyes aglow with cerulean light.
Despite his young age and friendly demeanor, Gus was a true force to be reckoned with. In the Day of Unity's waning moments, he gazed into the abyss that was Belos's mind, exposing him to the full extent of the tyrant's atrocities. With morality out the window, the illusionist was free to weaponize them against his fretful victims.
Both Luz and Hunter quickly started turning to stone, much to their mutual horror. Although it was most certainly a trick, the spell felt disturbingly real. The terrified twosome was too frozen with fear to retaliate. Just as the faux-petrification was about to wholly consume them, Gus was suddenly sprayed in the face with the antidote, breaking his concentration.
The illusions wore off instantly, revealing the duo's savior. Lo and behold Matt Tholomule, who was holding his trusty palisman in his arms. Schnoz's trunk was still leaking teal liquid; Matt had used his pachyderm pal as a water gun!
The light left Gus's eyes, and his apathy rapidly turned to shock. "Where am I? Why am I wet? And what am I wearing?"
Hunter had no clue how to inform Gus of the atrocious horrors he'd been through. Thankfully, Matt steered the conversation to another subject.
"Tell ya later! Now come on, we've got no time to lose!"
The odds were stacked against Boscha and Celine, for they were up against two of Hexside's strongest students; Willow Park and Amity Blight. Both girls had personal grudges against the former, and lacked both mercy and restraint.
A trio of snarling abominations shambled towards Boscha, who destroyed them with bolts fired from her staff. Willow summoned fearsome thorny tendrils that lashed out at Celine, but the oracle warded them off with violet flames cast from her orb.
Alas, the opposing witches summoned plants and constructs faster than their foes could cut them down. They closed in on the duo, so Celine conjured a protective, dome-shaped energy barrier to shield her and her ally
"Titan, they're mad!" Boscha exclaimed, her voice tinged with distress.
"I wonder why?" Celine sarcastically retorted. Amity reformed the remains of fallen Abomatons into an even larger golem, which shattered the demon's dome with a single mighty blow. The shock of its implosion threw Celine to the floor, leaving only Boscha standing.
She wasn't on her feet much longer, as she was hoisted overhead by Willow's vicious vines. They threw her in the air and swatted her, sending her flying across the facility. Amity's abomination served back with a heavy blow, returning her to sender. Boscha cried out in agony as her former victims continued knocking her back and forth like a grudgby ball. Celine attempted to intervene, but Amity pinned her down with an overpowering glob of sludge.
The oracle thrashed and struggled in her viscous restraints, until she caught sight of Alador in the distance. The patriarch of the Blight clan was bound both in body and mind; he was tangled in a mess of vines, and had been reduced to an idle state. Realizing his assistance could turn the skirmish's tide, she desperately fought through her restraints to reach for her crystal ball. Having made contact with the orb, she summoned a benevolent spirit that rescued her from captivity.
Now free from bondage, Celine made a mad dash for the seized scientist. Amity caught sight of her attempt, and began to give chase. Her accomplice, however, was still dead set on beating the living daylights out of Boscha. Willow continued whaling on her bully, until the novice potioneer pulled out a fog brew and slammed it to the ground, creating a hazy smokescreen. She then flew out of the cloud on her staff, her heart still pounding.
Once Celine reached Alador, she administered the antiserum with utmost urgency. However, Amity quickly caught up to her by surfing on sludge. She quickly formed said slime into a monstrous golem, and sicced it on Celine. Just as it was about to attack, the abomination was hit with an explosive potion from above, courtesy of Boscha. While Amity was distracted, Celine created a sword construct with her crystal ball, and used it to cut Alador loose.
"Bombs away!" Boscha continued to lob potions at the creature, whilst circling it on her flying staff. With just a few well-placed brew-bombs, she reduced it to mere gelatinous rubble. Alas, she was snatched from the sky and slammed to the ground, courtesy of Willow's powerful plants. The ex-grudgby captain groaned in pain, and Amity formed her remaining slime into a deadly blade.
Her former friend was about to strike her dead, only for an abomitech tentacle to seize her. The same fate befell Willow, and both girls were detained in Alador's mechanical appendages. Boscha acted fast, and charmed two antiserum vials; they promptly launched their contents into the mouths of the thralls.
Once the poison was cleared from their systems, Alador gently set Willow on the ground, and pulled Amity in for a tender embrace. As the engineer held his daughter in his arms, he looked at Celine with an expression of deep relief.
"Thank you..."
As for Willow, she was rather shocked that her old bully was lying in a heap at her feet, clearly beaten to a pulp. She called out Boscha's name, causing the girl to flinch. She shot the flyer derby captain a look that screamed "Please don't hurt me anymore," but the only thing that escaped her lips was a meek, mousy squeak. Lucky for her, Willow's attention was diverted by the arrival of Hunter and his companions.
"Hunter!" Willow exclaimed, overjoyed to see her friend in better shape. Hunter dashed to his Captain and embraced her dearly, causing a warm smile—and a slight blush—to appear on her face. Luz and Amity reunited with a passionate kiss, although it was soured by the bitter medicinal residue in their mouths.
"That's everyone, isn't it?" Gus inquired. Alas, he was proved wrong by a spine-tingling screech that came from above. Up in the sky, Viney and Puddles were locked in an aerial altercation with none other than Eda. And from the look of things, the healer was in way over her head...
At the reservoir's edge, Darius and Vitimir were locked in a heated battle. The latter spewed caustic gas from his foul maw, but the former contorted his viscous body out of the miasma's path. Darius retaliated by morphing his arm into a blade and slashing at Vitimir, who ducked just in time. The alchemist opened his mouth for another gas attack, only for Darius to gum it up with goo. He then punched his foe so hard it sent him skidding across the floor.
"You disgust me." Darius sneered with disdain. Realizing he was on the losing end of the duel, Vitimir desperately reached into his rucksack, and drew out a bottle of red-orange liquid; it was adorned with a flaming honeybee insignia. However, Darius threw an abomination shuriken that shattered the flask; its contents were spilled on the ground, much to its creator's chagrin.
"Not this ti—UGH!" The ex-Coven Head's scathing remark was cut short when Vitimir ripped off his gooey gag, and threw it in its maker's face. While Darius was distracted by disgust, Vitimir greedily lapped the liquid off the floor like a wild beast. Darius then seized hold of him with an outstretched arm, and lifted him high by his neck.
"What did you do!?"
Vitimir said no answer; what happened next spoke for itself. The potioneer's sickly gray skin became armored in burnt orange chitin. Bent antenna jutted from his skull; four insect-like wings sprouted from his back. An extra pair of arms tore out from his sides, monstrous mandibles protruded from his cheeks, and his body became blazing hot to the touch. He ripped off the straps that held his potion-packed knapsack; due to his metamorphosis, he no longer needed them.
The mutated monster let loose a burst of fire that knocked away Darius, freeing him from his clutches. Thanks to his experimental serum, Vitimir had become a fearsome fusion of demon and fire bee. He let out a shrill, buzzing shriek, and flew towards his foe with ferocious fury...
As a card-carrying member of the Beast Keeping track, Viney had encountered a menagerie of weird and wild creatures, many of which she had hands-on experience with. However, the astonishing Owl Lady was leagues above any beast she'd tangled with. So far, their battle was rather-one sided; the harpy saw Viney not as an opponent, but as prey.
Nonetheless, the dual-track witch was undeterred. From atop her trusty griffin, she cast a flurry of energy bolts at Eda. The corrupted chancellor evaded them with ease, and swooped down at the rider and steed with her wicked talons at the ready.
To escape the harpy's honed claws, Viney had to take drastic measures. She jumped off of Puddles, and mounted her magic staff; now, Eda had two targets to deal with. The beast keeper conjured up a fortified lasso, and used it to rope her winged foe. Next, she whistled loudly, signaling Puddles to grab the lasso with her beak. The loyal griffin swooped towards the Waterworks' roof, pulling the Owl Lady down with her.
Viney landed on the roof to join her pet, who had pinned down Eda. She carefully floated an antiserum vial towards the feral thrall, when without warning, the beast-woman threw Puddles off of her, and lashed out at her captor. The ensuing strike knocked Viney off the building; she would've taken a nasty fall had she not grabbed onto the roof's ledge. Now, she was hanging on for dear life.
Eda was about to finish the job, when Puddles pounced on her once more. The griffin and harpy fiercely fought tooth and nail, but the latter wielded the might of the Owl Beast; the brawl quickly ended up in her favor. She raised her blade-tipped arm to slay her prey, when her prosthetic was suddenly stolen by a vine. Purple slime besmirched her wings, and clawed tendrils clutched her other arm. Gus joined the fray, and cast a light spell that disoriented Eda. Finally, Hunter teleported towards the Owl Lady, and delivered her the antidote.
With Eda cured, all of Vitimir's thralls had been freed. Once Luz and Amity helped Viney back onto the roof, she healed herself and Puddles. Matt and Boscha arrived on their staves, whilst Alador used his tentacled harness to scale the building; in one of his appendages' gentle grip was Celine.
Just as everyone regrouped, Eda coughed and spat out the remnants of the foul-tasting potion, signifying her mind was once again her own. The Hexsquad undid her magical restraints, and Willow gave back her prosthesis. At first, the chancellor was relieved to see her friends and family safe and sound. However, her heart sank when she realized someone very special was missing.
"Where's King?!"
"Don't worry, he's safe." Hunter quickly reassured her.
"Yeah, he helped us make the cure!" added Celine.
"That's my boy." Eda remarked, her inflection dripping with pride. "Now where's Vitimir? I oughta rip that creep to pieces."
"Do it, Lord Calamity!" Viney exclaimed excitedly. Now that Eda wasn't trying to kill her, she was thrilled to finally see her hero in the flesh. Before she could be treated to such a satisfying sight, darkness fell over the Waterworks. Everyone looked up, and saw the setting sun had been blotted out by a trio of airships bearing the Eternal Coven's sigil. From the flagship's deck, Senber cast a fireball at the dam, causing it to crumble. A second explosion occurred, and from the look of things, it came from the reservoir!
"Darius!" Hunter cried. In a meager few moments, things had gone from bad to worse. The Coven's reinforcements had arrived, the leaking dam's runoff was headed for town, and Darius was likely in mortal danger. Faced with a slew of wicked problems, Hunter stood his ground, and took initiative.
"Luz, Willow, Boscha! Take care of the dam! Viney, Matt, Celine! You're with me. The rest of you, deal with the airships." Hunter commanded. The rest of the witches followed his orders. Eda flew towards the airships with Gus and Amity in her arms, whilst Alador activated his harness's handy jetpack and took to the skies.
Willow, Boscha and Luz jumped in front of the dam just as it burst, and cast telekinetic spells to hold the rushing water back. Luz was surprised to see Boscha actually helping her, but was more than willing to roll with it. As Hunter took off for the reservoir with his team, Willow eagerly wished him luck.
"Go get him, liger..."
Even with the odds stacked against him, Darius remained steadfast in his duel with Vitimir. However, the potioneer was far more powerful in his grotesque mutant form. With his pyrokinetic powers, he burned away at his enemy's abomination exoskeleton, exposing the vulnerable flesh and blood beneath.
In a last-ditch effort to slay the chimeric alchemist, Darius coated his right arm in the last of his viscous armor, which formed into a blade. He thrust the deadly weapon at Vitimir's heart, only for him to catch it in not one, but two of his four chitin-covered hands. Vitimir lit his grating grip ablaze, causing Darius to scream in agony. Then, he callously kicked him to the ground.
"I gave you a chance, yet you threw it away! And for what?! You used to be a Coven Head! Now, you'll die a glorified street-sweeper." Vitimir looked down at his former colleague with disdain. Desperate to relieve his burned arm's pain, Darius had doused it in his semi-sentient hair. "If it's any consolation, your mentor was much easier to kill."
To finish off his devastated adversary, Vitimir inhaled deeply, his hybrid physiology combusting the air he took in. Then, he let loose on Darius with his burning breath. When he was done, he expected to see naught but a charred, nigh-unrecognizable corpse. But to his shock, the flames had been dispelled by the swift-spinning staff of Hunter!
"Let's finish this."
"You never learn, do you, tool?" Vitimir was about to strike down the persistent thorn in his side, when through his perceptive compound eyes, he sensed a plume of purple flames hurtling his way. He quelled the blaze with fire of his own, and glared towards the oracle who cast it. Celine was standing with her orb at the ready, Matt, Viney and Puddles by her side.
"He's not the one trying to bring back the Empire." The moon demon taunted, her intentionally incorrect statement enraging the blackguard.
"FOOLISH CHILD!" Vitimir furiously threw a flurry of fireballs at the young witches. Celine summoned an energy shield to protect herself, whilst Viney and Matt escaped on their staves. The monstrous alchemist made a beeline for the Eternal Vessel, but Hunter beat him to the punch. Vitimir launched a fiery blast his way, but the grimwalker snatched the relic, zipped aside, and took flight.
"Keep-away!" Hunter called out, tipping off his teammates. Vitimir's wings buzzed discordantly as he flitted after the grimwalker. Hunter narrowly evaded the Coven Head's flames with his fancy flying, then threw the Vessel to his fellow Entrail.
Viney soared through the air with Puddles by her side, and the Vessel on her person. The Eternaline-filled bottle drew Vitimir's ire; he pursued it like a persevering predator. Puddles tackled the monstrous madman to slow him down, but he grabbed the griffin and threw her into the reservoir. As she landed with a splash, he launched plumes of fire at Viney. She blocked the blazing blasts with a hand-shaped shield, but its integrity was rapidly deteriorating.
"Matt, heads up!"
To catch the flung flask, Matt turned the ground he stood on into a rapidly-rising pillar, until he was high enough to seize it. Then, he used his staff to hurl huge chunks of rock at Vitimir, but the demon made short work of them with his armored fists. To keep up the chase, Matt jumped off his pillar, and summoned another where he landed. He quickly parkoured from column to column, and conjured two copies of himself that did the same. However, Vitimir incinerated the illusions, and honed in on the real Matt Tholomule.
"Coming in hot!" Matt cast the Vessel towards Celine, but because of the stress he was under, he overshot it! To salvage the botched toss, Celine commanded a spectral hand to stretch out from her crystal ball. It caught the relic in its grasp, and pulled it back to its caster.
Alas, where the Vessel went, Vitimir inevitably followed. He landed behind the teenage oracle, and let out a horrific screech. Thanks to her mother's impulsive actions, Celine no longer had a staff to escape with. She tried to defend herself, but Vitimir disarmed her of her orb, then ripped the Vessel from her grasp. He kicked her away, then flitted to the reservoir's edge.
Now was the moment of truth; if Vitimir's poison touched the water, all the Isles would be his. He raised the flask above the water, when all of a sudden, Hunter hurtled in like a comet and struck him with a powerful punch. Vitimir anchored himself to the floor with his talons, and scowled towards his adversary. The boy's eyes were shining with golden light, and volatile sparks crackled around him.
Vitimir lashed out with bestial fire, but Hunter used his staff to wield the water around him. The elements clashed together, creating a cloud of steam that obscured them both. The dueling witches duked it out in the haze, exchanging magical outbursts. While Vitimir harnessed literal firepower, Hunter was launching bolts from his bare hands.
The apothecary switched to melee combat, and threw a plethora of flame-wreathed punches at the former Golden Guard. Hunter fleetly dodged and blocked Vitimir's blows, and conjured up a sword made purely of energy. When the monster lashed out, he used said blade to slice off one of his lower arms, prompting a shrill shriek of pain.
As Vitimir reeled in pain, Hunter mustered all his remaining strength into a volatile orb of magical power. The sparks around him grew more intense, until it was hard to even gaze upon the brilliant lights. He prepared to let loose on the loathsome malefactor, when without warning, he felt a pain in his chest that brought him to his knees.
The energy ball faded into nothingness, as did the rest of his radiance. Fraught with fatigue, Hunter gasped for air, until Vitimir seized him. Two hands gripped his midsection and lifted him to the demon's level, whilst the third clutched his throat.
"Pathetic. Even with all that power, you're still a weak little whelp." Vitimir hissed hatefully, whilst pulling Hunter towards his deadly mandibles. Try as he might to escape, the grimwalker was far too drained to free himself. Right when it seemed all was lost, Vitimir was struck from behind by a mysterious, purple-hued being.
Vitimir lost his hold on Hunter, and turned to the unknown aggressor. To the shock of both hero and villain, the one who intervened was a dead man walking; Celine had summoned the spirit of Esau!
Naturally, Esau had unfinished business with the demon who got him killed. The vengeful specter attacked Vitimir with staff and sword, cutting off another of his insectoid arms. Darius—who was hastily hurrying towards the battle—caught a glimpse of Esau's ghost, and stopped dead in his tracks. Once the initial shock wore off, he rushed to Hunter's side.
"Was that?!" Darius's astonished inquiry was answered with a simple nod from his ward. He had seen Hunter lose his stamina from afar, so he prepared accordingly; slung over his back was Vitimir's boxy rucksack. He reached into the cluttered pack, pulled out the last bottle of LocoPotion, and handed it to Hunter.
"Drink up, son."
Eventually, Vitimir landed a vigorous blow on Esau's ghost, causing him to poof away. However, the witches were far from finished with him. Matt slapped a power glyph on Schnoz, then threw him high in the air. He followed up by hitting his palisman with his size-shifting spell, enlarging him to the size of an actual elephant. The pachyderm shook the earth as he landed in front of Vitimir, and let out a blaring trumpet. Then, he smacked the malevolent mutant with his trunk, sending him flying.
Schnoz's attack enraged Vitimir further. Enormous as the elephant was, he was still made of wood, and wood is flammable. The alchemist formed flames in his hands, dead-set on lighting the palisman ablaze.
However, Viney upped the ante by casting a gigantic spell circle with her staff. Said ring turned into a portal, and out of it came a beast she'd befriended before. It was the tamandruin; the natural predator of the fire bee. The creature reared on his hind legs, and unleashed his flame-retardant spit on Vitimir, nullifying his pyrokinetic powers.
Although he was extinguished, Vitimir wasn't finished. He hovered in the air, and set his sights on Viney, when he was struck by a beam of golden energy. Hunter charged towards him with a heroic second wind, and a bright aura around him.
Vitimir swooped at Hunter with his claws out, and his wings beating rapidly. However, Hunter formed birdlike, golden-hued wings of his own from the magic inside him, and became airborne. He flew towards his foe at breakneck speed, his fist coated with brilliant light.
Hunter's punch was more powerful than any he'd thrown before; it struck Vitimir from the sky, and he fell like lightning. When the blackguard hit the ground, the impact formed a sizable crater in the concrete. The four witches surrounded the pit, and were stunned to see that despite the beating they gave him, Vitimir still hadn't given in.
"NO! This won't be the end! I will not be defeated by petulant witchlets! The Eternal Coven will reign FOREVER!"
Vitimir's pitiful last stand was quashed when Darius let loose the contents of the Eternal Vessel upon him. The liquid flowed out of the flask with the force of a waterfall, and doused its creator in an overpowering deluge. Only when the crater was filled did Darius finally cork the container.
After subjecting so many innocent witches and demons to the Eternaline toxin, Vitimir finally got a taste of his own medicine. The serum had constrained his brain, turning him into a mind-controlled slave to himself. As he languished in the potion-soaked pit, he weakly muttered a single phrase over and over again.
"One mind for all time. One mind for all time. One mind for all time..."
In the airspace above, four other heroes were finishing off the last remnants of the Eternal Coven. On the deck of one airship, Eda and Amity had each others' backs as they took down its crew with abomination weapons and harpy claws. Aboard another, Gus used his magic amplifier to rekindle Senber's most abhorred memories. While the cruel chemist was disoriented, Alador immobilized him in his tentacles' grip.
The third airship's soldiers fired spells at the witches, who ducked for cover. However, the hostiles froze up when they heard a ferocious roar. Their skyfaring vessel was then pounced upon by the fearsome hand-dragon known as Princess. Once a pet of Kikimora's, she now was under the tender, loving care of Eberwolf, who was riding on her back. Late as he was to the battle, the others were nonetheless glad to see them.
Meanwhile on the ground, Luz, Willow and Boscha were struggling to hold back the raging cascade. Just as the trio collapsed from exhaustion, a stone wall rose and sealed up the dam, preventing a truly disastrous flood. The girls looked up to their savior, who was none other than Matt.
Matt smiled and winked at the ladies, soared on his staff, and landed just outside the WaterWorks building. There, Viney, Puddles, Celine, and Darius were standing proud, whilst a bound and gagged Vitimir lay prostrate at their feet. Their peers joyously cheered them on for their valiant victory. Darius smiled contently, Viney took a bow, Celine blushed shyly, and Matt appeared to be on the verge of tears.
However, Willow noticed a certain special someone was absent from the group. "Wait, where's—" Before she could say his name, Hunter soared into the sky like an angel, his golden wings spread wide. Waffles was perched proudly on his shoulder, and a radiant grin was clear on his face.
"We did it, Captain!" The high-flying boy happily exclaimed. He couldn't see it from so high up, but upon seeing his winged form, Willow's face had gone red enough to rival Amity's legendary blushes. Even her glasses had fogged up completely!
"Hunter..." Willow swooned, amazed and awestruck.
All the witches came together to revel in their triumph, with the exception of one. Whilst the others celebrated, Boscha quietly slipped out from the scene, and flew away on her staff. Since she wasn't on good terms with most of them, she figured it would be best for everyone if she left unannounced.
At long last, the battle was over. Thanks to the efforts of so many brave and heroic witches, both the Boiling Isles and the Human Realm were safe and sound from the evil machinations of the Eternal Coven...
The day may be saved, but that doesn't mean the story's over just yet. Stay tuned for the epilogue; it's coming sooner than you think...